1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for sealing end faces of extruded ceramic tubes.
2. Related Art Statement
When tubular bodies are to be shaped by extrusion, it has been impossible to obtain a tubular body having an end face sealed by a single extrusion step.
For this reason, when an end face of the extruded ceramic tube is to be sealed, it is a conventional practice that a dried member having the same composition as that of the ceramic tube is fixed to an end of the dried tubular body with an adhesive, and then the tube and dried member are fired to effect integration at the end.
However, the above-mentioned conventional end face-sealing technique requires use of a member having the same composition as that of the tube and exhibiting, when dried, a given shape to seal the end of the tube. As a result, a gap ranging from 5 to 10 .mu.m is formed between the wall of the tube and the sealing member when the tubular product is integrated by firing. Thus, this unfavorably hinders complete integration. Consequently, ceramic tubes having such ends are likely to be broken, and are low in reliability.